


Breathless

by Avistella



Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: Anxiety Attacks, F/M, Hurt/Comfort, POV Second Person, Reader-Insert
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-09-18
Updated: 2017-09-18
Packaged: 2018-12-31 04:15:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,630
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12124305
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Avistella/pseuds/Avistella
Summary: Gladio raises his voice resulting in a drastic reaction from you. Ignis calms you down, and Gladio promises to be more careful for you.





	Breathless

**Author's Note:**

> It wasn't really my intention to have some Ignis x Reader in this, but it somehow slipped into my writing since he seemed like the most fitting character to use.

There's no "real" reason why you're feeling the way you have been as of late. You understand that it's irrational, but even so, you can't stop the way your mind works; it's part of who you are, even if it's something that you're ashamed about. Sometimes, the memories just come back to you without warning. Maybe there was a trigger somewhere throughout the day that you weren't aware of, but what's done is done.

At first, it isn't all that bad. You're able to hide your troubling thoughts and discreetly manage the way your body reacts. You still have some sense of control, and everything is more or less proceeding as normal. But those dark thoughts linger in the back of your mind, and you can't quite shake them away. So even if the days pass on by without a hitch, that unsettling knot in your stomach grows and grows until you can no longer ignore it.

It's a particularly bad mental health day. You're a bit more distant and quiet from the group, but they don't pry nor think too much of it. They trust you enough to tell them if something's troubling you, but you don't trust yourself. Your thoughts race back and forth, memories that you've tried to suppress resurfacing at the most inconvenient of times. You try to cope by thinking of other things to distract yourself, but it takes up a lot of your energy and ends up draining you very quickly.

No matter how hard you try, you can't stop the tight constriction of your chest. Your heartbeat is ringing loudly in your ears, and you feel both dizzy and nauseous. You try to subtly clutch at your stomach, that sinking feeling not leaving you alone for a single second. You have to make a conscious effort to regulate your breathing, and the world around you won't stop spinning. Perhaps it would be a good idea to ask the others for a short break from all the walking walking.

As soon as the idea crosses your mind, Noctis accidentally summons his weapons for whatever strange reason and almost ends up hitting Gladio in the process. The Crown Prince winces at his own carelessness, already knowing the consequences of his behaviour, but the Shield isn't impressed in the slightest.

"Watch where you're going!" The man growls, impatience evident in his tone.

You're not sure if it was the tone or raised voice that does it, but it sets you off. You visibly jump, flinching from Gladio's words, even if they weren't directed towards you. It's at that moment you lose your footing for a second, and you go crashing down to the ground on your knees. The four males stop in their tracks and rush back over to your side.

It's embarrassing, in a way, as you're unable to stand back up with the tears you were trying so desperately to hold back start spilling out. The voices of your group of friends don't reach your ears; there's just too much going on in your mind right now to focus properly on your surroundings. You feel yourself spiralling out of control, your breathing becoming irregular amongst your broken sobs.

"I'm sorry," you say, but you're not exactly certain who you're apologizing to or what you're apologizing for. It can be a multitude of things, really, but you just feel compelled to do so. It almost feels like second nature. "I'm sorry," you repeat through your hiccups, gasping as you feel your breaths come much shorter and faster. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean—"

You take a sharp gasp, trying to bring air back into your lungs that you feel are failing you at this moment. The tears won't stop falling, and it feels like somebody is twisting a knife into your heart, and your head is throbbing incessantly, and _oh gods_ — _you can't breathe you can't breathe you can't breathe you can't_ —

Ignis is quick to act while the other three are left frozen in confusion, hovering around you with their arms hanging uselessly in the air as they don't know what to do. With a firm voice, Ignis orders the others, "Move back and give them space."

Noctis, Prompto, and Gladio do exactly as they're told, taking several steps back as they trust and let Ignis handle this situation. The royal advisor kneels down to your level, and you're vaguely aware of him calling your name. The man continues, "I'm going to put my hand on your shoulder, is that okay?"

You nod your head as best as you can as Ignis gently does what he said he would do. The touch is able to bring you back for a moment, even if just a little. Keeping a calm and even voice, Ignis says, "Look at me and try to copy my breathing, okay?"

With blurred vision, you bring your gaze upwards and watch Ignis as he takes slow and deep breaths. You struggle to follow along, but the man assures you that there's no need to rush. "It's okay, you're okay... Inhale... And exhale... Inhale... Exhale..."

You're not sure how much time it took to get your breathing back to normal, but by the end of it, you're left extremely tired like there's a heavy weight on your shoulders, but you feel sort of lightheaded at the same time. It's a bit of a strange feeling, but it's not one you're unfamiliar with and go along with it. Once he sees you've regained some peace of mind once more, Ignis asks, "Would you like some water?"

Not trusting your voice due to how dry your throat feels, you nod your head. Ignis stands back to full height to retrieve some bottled water that he always keeps on hand, just to be safe. He offers you the bottle which you graciously accept and take generous gulps, the cool liquid refreshing your throat. You hand the bottle back to the man while muttering out a weak word of thanks, shame and embarrassment crawling their way to your cheeks.

"It's no problem," Ignis assures you with a small smile, stroking your hair for a moment before bringing his attention back to the other three males who are still standing there, concerned and confused. The royal advisor guides them away for a bit to let you collect yourself while he gives a basic explanation of what just happened. Of course, Ignis isn't aware of your circumstances, so all of what he says is just an educated guess which he makes sure to clarify in his explanation while you bring yourself back from that incident of yours.

* * *

Later in the evening, you offer to help Ignis with the cooking while the other three prepare the other camping equipment. The repetitive actions of chopping and stirring help calm you down after the ordeal from the afternoon, and you use this moment to open up to Ignis, explaining your reasons for why you reacted in that way. It seemed like due time for you to finally talk a bit more about yourself so that everybody could be more aware and what to do next time. Throughout your life story, the royal advisor remains quiet and attentive. He's patient with you which you're extremely grateful for.

"You should know that I will always be here for you, so please don't hesitate to talk to me if you need to," Ignis reminds you with a soft expression on his face, his arm reaching out to tentatively touch your arm.

"Thanks Iggy... I appreciate it." You smile in return as you lean a bit more towards his warmth.

Once the sun has fully set and the stars shining brightly in the sky, most of the group retreats into the tent to sleep after a long day. You know that you should rest as well, but you need a moment for yourself first to sift through your thoughts and just think. The fire has gone out, but you have a blanket comfortably wrapped around your shoulders as you sit on one of the chairs and stare up at the sky.

You don't fight against your thoughts and let them freely run through your mind. A deep voice calling your name from behind snaps you back to reality, and you sit up to turn around and face Gladio. He hesitates on approaching you for a second, his brows furrowed together from guilt. Slowly, your lips curve into a small smile as you beckon him to come closer.

The Shield takes a deep breath and crouches down to your level. He takes your hands into his bigger ones, his chest clenching painfully as he whispers, "I'm sorry about earlier."

You're a bit taken aback by his apology, but you quickly regain yourself and shake your head. "It wasn't your fault. You don't need to apologize."

Gladio chuckles wryly at that. Even if you don't blame him directly, he still feels as though what happened that afternoon wouldn't have happened if he didn't raise his voice like that. "Ignis explained everything to me. I promise to be more careful from now on."

"I appreciate it, truly..."

The corners of Gladio's lips curve into a smile, and he reaches towards your face to tuck a lock of hair behind your ear before stroking your cheek. His touch is as gentle as the expression on his face. Pulling away and standing back up to his full height, the Shield offers you his hand to take.

"Let's go get some rest," he suggests.

You accept, taking his hand and allowing him to help you up. The two of you walk to the tent in comfortable silence, ready to go to sleep so that you can take on a new day tomorrow.


End file.
